This invention relates to the production of arylene sulfide polymer. More particularly, this invention is related to the production of phenylene sulfide polymer. In one of its aspects, this invention is related to the continuous production of arylene sulfide polymer and more particularly, such production using a single contact vessel. In another aspect this invention is related to a contact vessel suitable for the continuous production of arylene sulfide polymer.
In one concept of this invention, it relates to the continuous production of arylene sulfide polymer by passing the reactants through multiple chambers in a single contact vessel, thereby limiting mechanical difficulties encountered in the use of multivessel continuous polymerization processes.
Processes for producing arylene sulfide polymers are well known as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,354,129 and 3,919,177. Although the production of arylene sulfide polymer, or more specifically, phenylene sulfide polymers, has generally been limited to batch operations in the processes described in the patents noted above, there have been methods proposed for the continuous production of arylene sulfide polymer as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,056,515, 4,060,520 and 4,066,632, in which multiple vessels are employed in the polymerization process. The use of multiple vessels has, however, not been entirely satisfactory because the mechanical problems associated with agitated contact vessels are, in actual practice, multiplied by the number of vessels necessary for use in the reaction process. Processes which produce solid particulate material in liquid-full vessels are notorious for the problems associated with the bearings and seals of the mechanical agitators necessary in the processes. The development of a continuous process for the production of arylene sulfide polymer which requires only one agitated contact or in the polymerization process instead of multiple vessels is an important advance in the art.
The development of an apparatus suitable for the continuous production of arylene sulfide polymer in a single vessel has depended largely on the determination of the parameters necessary to provide control of the back-mixing between chambers or stages of a continuous reactor in the production of arylene sulfide polymer. It has now been found that for an elongated vertical reactor divided into chambers and having a central agitator shaft extending the length of the reactor the relationship between the diameter of the shaft and the diameter of the circular opening in each baffle around the shaft along with the relationship of the diameter of the horizontal baffle to the length of the annular path, i.e., the height of the vertical portion of the baffle surrounding the agitator shaft can be adjusted to provide a minimizing of backflow between the chambers necessary for arylene sulfide polymer production.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for the continuous contacting of reactants to produce arylene sulfide polymer in a single agitated vessel. It is also an object of this invention to provide a method for continuously producing arylene sulfide polymer in which a single agitated contactor is used for conducting the reaction that produces the arylene sulfide polymer. It is another object of this invention to provide an economical method for producing arylene sulfide polymer. It is still another object of this invention to provide a method for substantially reducing the probability of mechanical problems in the equipment used in the presently known continuously methods for producing arylene sulfide polymer.
Other aspects, objects, and the various advantages of this invention will become apparent upon studying the specification, the drawings, and the appended claims.